


Episode 9: Justification

by fsdfsdfsd



Series: Challenge: Correct the AU as we go along [9]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: AU, Gen, Hanoi AU, Hanoi Aoi, Hanoi Go, Hanoi Yusaku, How do you people? Says Yusaku, Not Beta Read, Self-created challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 04:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11890128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fsdfsdfsd/pseuds/fsdfsdfsd
Summary: Irony can be experienced as a source of humor, drama, or both. Watching a parade of people who represent everything the public thinks Hanoi stands for invokes the second option in three young agents, as the radicals are doing the right thing without any idea what the right reasons are.





	Episode 9: Justification

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with a fun idea for episode 9 that wound up taking SO much time and had SO little to do with the episode itself, I decided to put it on the shelf for now and write this. Only now college is about to start, and I'm going to be visiting some friends and family for a few weeks before then, so... yeah. Updating is gonna take time.

“Do these people have nothing better to do?” Aoi glared at the mob of people holding signs in the road. There were only twenty or thirty of them, but with the help of microphones and a complete disrespect for others they managed to block the intersection, harassing cars and pedestrians alike.

On an individual level that was most likely, but Yusaku couldn’t think of any one activity that all of the protesters were likely to share. Except, “Therapy, maybe?”

Yusaku’s eyes were on the anti-technology protesters, but he heard Aoi’s chair creak as she leaned back in it. “Maybe,” she said, “but that relies on these people realizing they need help.”

“To be fair, they’re not completely wrong.” Go said.

Yusaku turned back to the café table and reached for his smoothie. “I don’t think ‘email is killing language.‘ As digital tools go, that one’s fairly neutral. It doesn’t carry ‘Data,’” and he used air-quotes to alert the other two to his true meaning, “unless specifically made to. The only reason it’s not totally safe is because email is so versatile and universal, anybody can use it for anything.”

It was hard for Yusaku to read Go under the jacket, but he was fairly sure his friend wasn’t joking when he said, “But still, couldn’t some of those people be able to tell that there’s something very wrong with their technology?”

“Low-level psychics?” Aoi said.

“Or just people who are more sensitive to the health of their soul. Like, maybe someone who doesn’t do a lot of dueling, or have enough money to use a computer or a tv a lot. They try going on Vrains once, and it just feels wrong to them, so they assume the problem is technology itself instead of this specific device.”

“Not likely.” Yusaku said, “Even if they’re naturally inclined to feel the changes of the soul- so, psychic- people aren’t likely to notice the damage being done because there really is none. A single use of the Vrains isn’t any worse than losing a duel- it’s only a problem when you use it over and over. Like one of those old X-Rays.” Which he figured Go would remember, but then again he didn’t work with technology as often as Yusaku.

Go started to say, “Yes, but-”

Aoi cut him off. “And anyways, wouldn’t that require them to already be anti-technology? They’d already be the sort of ‘the future is bad’ types, with or without the Vrains.”

“Yeah, but maybe they’d be more-”

Glass shattered somewhere on the street, and the chanting voices began to rise. Yusaku could tell from his friends faces that the protest was getting ugly. With so few people the fight couldn’t last long, but it would be best to get out of the way just incase something went wrong.

The three of them made their way inside and found the bathroom. As they waited outside for the fourth party member to join them, Go continued his train of thought.

“See, this is what I mean. Those guys are going to get themselves arrested, but won’t they make a statement?”

Won’t some people pay attention, he meant. Aoi seemed to disagree, “If they get on the news for hating all technology, it won’t make people wonder if we have a point. If they associate us with those protesters, it’ll just make us look like extremists.”

Which was made all the more likely since the public didn’t know what Hanoi really stood for. “Not if we separated ourselves.” Go pointed out, “Not if we told them why we’re different.”

“You know that’ll never happen.”

“Why not?” Yusaku felt somewhat compelled to agree with Go on this point. On the one hand, if people were educated on the risks they were taking, they’d presumably avoid them. On the other hand, SOL Tech probably had lawyers and corrupt experts by the dozen just waiting to ‘disprove’ any evidence Hanoi could make public.

Or at least, that’s what Yusaku had been told. And Aoi, and Go, even if Go doubted it.

He wasn’t sure how much Aoi agreed with either side, and she said, “Don’t look at me, I’m not the one you have to convince.” Just before the bathroom door opened, and group headed off.

**Author's Note:**

> When I heard Revolver's speech, I decided I could do one of two things. I could take it at face value, assume Hanoi's motivations were a joke or an absolutely atrocious attempt at making what is IRL not a big problem seem very dangerous, or I could take it literally.
> 
> As in, I could assume that Vrains, like every other Yugioh series, has some element of the supernatural in it. With that assumption, I could guess that Revolver's words are literal, in that he actually believes that using SOL Technology, Cyverse, and Vrains is damaging to the human soul. Like, in a shadow-games sense damaging. Until we get proof otherwise, I will assume that this is what Hanoi believes.
> 
>  
> 
>  **I AM NOW LOOKING FOR A BETA READER. PLEASE COMMENT BELOW OR CONTACT ME ON TUMBLR IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:**  
>  http://bluebeirry.tumblr.com/


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